Every day you tell people where things are. Where are my keys? Where is the meeting? Where do you live? To answer, English uses small words like at, in, on, under, and between. If you choose the wrong one, people picture the wrong place. If you say the milk is on the fridge, they look on top of it, not inside it.

These little words also matter for safety and work. A nurse needs to say the medicine is in the box, not on the box. A delivery driver needs to know the office is on the third floor, at number 12. Learning place prepositions well makes your directions clear the first time, so nobody has to guess.

A preposition of place connects a thing to a location. The pattern is simple: thing + be + preposition + place. For example: The cup is on the table. The first big pair to learn is in and on. Use in for inside spaces that can hold something: in the box, in the kitchen, in the car, in my bag, in London. Use on for surfaces that things sit or hang on: on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on the shelf.

The third small word is at. At is for a point or a general location, not inside or on top. We say at the door, at the bus stop, at work, at school, at the corner. Think of at as a pin on a map. Compare: She is at the bank (that is her location) and She is in the bank (she is inside the building). Both can be true, but at only gives the point, while in tells you she is inside.

Over and under describe higher and lower positions. Under means below something: The cat is under the chair. Over often means above and covering: There is a lamp over the table, or a blanket over the bed. You can also use above for higher without touching: The picture is above the sofa.

Between and among both mean in the middle of other things, but they are used differently. Use between for two clear things or sides: The bank is between the cafe and the pharmacy. Use among for a group of many: She sat among her friends. Finally, near means close to something, without touching: The hotel is near the station. Near is a friendly, easy word when you do not know the exact position.

When you describe a place, you can join two prepositions in one sentence to be very exact: The keys are in the bowl on the shelf near the door. Read it slowly: in tells you the container, on tells you the surface, near tells you the area. English builds pictures step by step like this, from the small thing to the bigger place.

1. 1. Your phone is on the kitchen table.

   On is for a flat surface that something sits on.

2. 2. The keys are in my coat pocket.

   In is for an inside space that holds something.

3. 3. I will meet you at the main entrance.

   At marks a meeting point, like a pin on a map.

4. 4. Is the manager in her office now?

   A question with in; the office is a room you can be inside.

5. 5. The dog is sleeping under the bed.

   Under means in a lower position, below the bed.

6. 6. There is a clock over the door.

   Over means higher than the door, above it.

7. 7. The pharmacy is between the bank and the bakery.

   Between is used with two things, one on each side.

8. 8. I found my glasses among the old papers.

   Among is for a group of many things, not just two.

9. 9. We live near the train station.

   Near means close to a place, without touching it.

10. 10. Your name is not on the list.

    A negative sentence; names sit on a list like on a surface.

11. 11. The children are at school until three.

    At school describes a general location, not a room.

12. 12. Put the umbrella in the corner, please.

    In the corner of a room means inside that space.

13. 13. There are two paintings on the wall.

    Things that hang on a vertical surface also take on.

14. 14. Was anyone at the bus stop this morning?

    A past question; a bus stop is a point, so use at.

15. 15. The report is in the blue folder on my desk.

    Two prepositions build one clear picture: inside the folder, on the desk.

The most common mistake is mixing in and on. Learners say The file is on the folder in the desk, but a folder holds the file inside, so it must be in the folder, and a desk is a surface, so the folder is on the desk. Right: The file is in the folder on the desk. Ask yourself: does the place hold it inside (in) or does it sit on top (on)? That one question fixes most errors.

A second mistake is using in or on when English wants at. Learners say I am in the bus stop, but a bus stop is a point, not a container, so we say at the bus stop. The same is true for at the door, at the traffic lights, and at reception. If the place is just a spot where you stand, choose at.

A third mistake is using between for groups. Learners say She was standing between all her classmates, but with a group of many people English uses among: She was standing among her classmates. Keep between for exactly two sides, like between the window and the door.

• In = inside a container or area; on = touching a surface.
• At = a point on the map: at the door, at work, at the bus stop.
• Under is below; over is above, often covering.
• Between two things; among many things.
• Near means close to, and it works almost anywhere.
• Build pictures small to big: in the box on the shelf near the door.